[TowerTalk] Moth Balls

[K8RI on Tower Talk]

I grab a hand full of mothballs and throw them into the conduit where it 
comes into the basement every fall.


>I will be implementing this tip in all the places I will have that will be 
>like this.  My plan is to put a utility box (I have 13 of the utility 
>company-type light green ones) at the base of each tower as a junction for 
>coax coming down the tower and the coax to the shack -- for ground, etc. 
>Just sitting around, these boxes clearly are an attractive nest site for 
>wasps.  I hope the moth balls will keep them all out.
>
> On lady bugs, I suppose half of them are "gentleman bugs."  And maybe 
> they're not "gentlemen."  We have a lot of ladybugs here, in the house.  I 
> think they are coming in through the bathroom vents.  I didn't realize 
> that they "over-winter," but apparently they do, seeking cozy hideaways, 
> with 10, 20 or more huddled together in corners of the ceiling.  Since 
> they are apparently harmless and, in fact, are beneficial in the growing 
> season

The little suckers are not harmless. They bite and many people are alergic 
to the venom.  Besides, it hurts when they bite.

I don't get 20 or 30, I get thousands and thousands of the little buggers.
I find masses of the things 8 or 10 inches across. The last couple of years 
in the Fall they cover the entire south wall of my shop day after day.  You 
can't walk between the house and shop without being bitten several times.

Now days, most of what we see are not Lady Bugs, but Asian beetles.  They 
are difficult to tell apart.  I don't know if they can tell either.

> because they eat aphids, which in turn eat roses, and are more charming 
> than most insects, I'm not too worried about them.

Wait till the suckers are crawling on your walls, in your drinks, in the 
sink, on the table, in your hair (they have a hard time finding mine).
Even being environmentally minded I'd rather spray the roses than put up 
with tens of thousands of these darn critters.

That and for some reason my yard has become very popular for Yellow Jackets 
(the mean tempered ones) and paper wasps.  Two years ago I destroyed over 40 
nests and nearly that many last Summer. That is on a one acre lot.  The got 
behind the siding on the south end of the house and built a nest to large it 
pushed the siding off at the peak.

Roger Halstead (K8RI, EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
N833R, World's Oldest Debonair (S# CD-2)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
> 73 - Rich, KE3Q
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "ABowenN4OO" <abowen at nettally.com>
> To: <towertalk at contesting.com>>
> Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 7:05 AM
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Moth Balls
>
>
>> I was about to publish a note similar to K3ND's, regarding insects and 
>> moth
>> bolls. I opened my relay box out on the tower and found stacks of lady 
>> bugs
>> doing unlady like things inside the box. In addition, there were a number
>> of wasp clusters and spider webs.
>>
>> I put 5 moth balls in a small diameter glass jar and taped it inside the
>> relay box (12 X 18"). No more insects. I have done the same for my remote
>> Beverage boxes which are loved by spiders, but a single ball will do for
>> those.
>>
>> I am not sure about the composition but think the major ingredient is
>> naptha. I put the moth balls in a glass jar because I was not sure of the
>> effect of naptha on the various plastics. Plastic pill containers should
>> also work for a time also per K3ND. I suspect the balls will evaporate 
>> with
>> time and require replacement.
>>
>> I also intend on dropping one or 2 on fire ant hills and see if I can get
>> them to move.
>>
>> INK N4OO
>> ===========================================
>> At 05:42 AM 1/13/2005 -0800, GALE STEWARD wrote:
>>
>> >Years ago one of the OTs mentioned that fact the he
>> >used moth balls to keep insects out of outdoor
>> >enclosures. I have a matching network for my 80/160
>> >vertical. See:
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless 
>> Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with 
>> any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>>
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>>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless 
> Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with 
> any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
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>